Strength Of A New Dawn
by Kagari-hime
Summary: All it took was a little time and realization for the both of them. It may have been the best time to have realized this too, because all it took was patience, acceptance, a big smile, and love - something they could both give each other.


This is my first Peachshipping fanfiction ever! With this said, I hope that everyone is in character. This little idea came about while I was thinking about lovely little Yugi just spending time with cute little Anzu. It turned out to be more of a hurt/comfort/friendship once I began to think about how these two would handle Atemu's departure, and better yet, how they would deal with it together. This is a one-shot, so hopefully, I've included enough information for you guys as readers to get a sense of where these two are at in their relationship. Please forgive any grammatical errors as my airheaded-self tends to not see typos until _after_ I've uploaded even after checking for errors tons of times before - (my lovely brain decides to be mean to me like that).

I hope you all like!

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Anzu fanned herself with her hand as she peered over from her book to the boy hunched in front of his television playing some video game.

It had been like this for the past few weeks. Jonouchi, Honda, Yugi and her would always hangout at the card shop and then move the small party up to Yugi's room, where it the boys would play video games and Anzu would either watch, do homework, or simply read a book, like now. The room would always heat up with all the movement from the body heat in Yugi's small room, but they never minded much; they'd always take off their school jacket if anything.

Jonouchi and Honda had already left for the day, which Anzu hoped would cool off the room. It was getting difficult to concentrate on her romance novel when all she could think of was another cool glass of lemonade from Yugi's fridge and taking off another clothing item.

Staring at a focused Yugi, Anzu watched as he stuck his tongue out on the side in frustration, a few beads of sweat on his forehead. He'd been beating all these levels in the game with one life left – one more hit and he would be set back a few levels.

Anzu placed her book down on the bed and joined him on the floor, letting her forehead lean on his shoulder. He acknowledged her presence by rubbing his elbow against her arm, making her smile.

It had been a few months since the Pharaoh – no, Atemu – left and Yugi had taken it hard. He'd practically spent half his life devoted to building the puzzle and solving the mystery of the pharaoh inhabiting it that it hit too close to home when it was Atemu's time to go.

Very few knew about Atemu's departure. Only those involved had any knowledge, and so most of their life resumed normally once they'd return from the trip. School was normal, home was normal, Domino City was normal even though Kaiba had cackled off in the news about some new technology he was beginning to develop. All seemed well, but Anzu knew better.

Atemu leaving hurt all of them. It definitely hurt her, and it had scarred Yugi.

It was odd, watching the boy tap away at the controller as he glanced at Anzu every once in a while, throwing her a smile here and there. Anzu could tell he still needed time to recover, but she wondered just how much of it was Atemu's doing.

Yugi knew she had feelings for the older man, no matter how many times she had expressed that she loved them both equally. But Yugi was a kind man, not a stupid one. He knew Anzu was devastated when the man she had gradually fallen in love with had departed from the world, and he never asked her about it. He accepted that it wasn't his place to.

Sure, he was still infatuated with his childhood friend, but he'd rather keep her as a best friend than lose her over the pharaoh, so he never asked, and never judged.

Even now, everything seemed well; Anzu was spending the night over. Since they'd known each other for years, it wasn't rare that she spend the night every once in a blue moon, and every time she did, he couldn't sleep. How could he when his love was calmly sleeping in the same room as him?

"It's a little stuffy," Anzu yawned. It was getting late. "I think I'm going to shower quickly." She rubbed her eyes a little.

"Alright, I'll go in after you." Yugi quickly tapped at a button repeatedly to avoid losing his last life.

Anzu gathered her bag and made her way to the bathroom, still thinking about Yugi's mental state. How much had she hurt him by falling in love with his then other side? With Atemu whom shared his body? She wasn't oblivious to the disappointed looks he would give when he would tell her he would switch to Atemu for her, no; she saw every single one of them. She knew Atemu had to know too, but the older man was keener and tried his best not to upset either party.

When Atemu left, they both cried, but she wondered if part of what added to Yugi's misery was the fact that the older man was no longer there for her to get close to—

"_No."_ Anzu thought. Not once did she think about leaving Yugi for any reason. Yugi was special to her. There was no one else like him and she was extremely grateful to have him as a friend. She loved Yugi… and lately, she was beginning to think that it was just more than being friends.

Turning on the shower to a relatively cool temperature, she stepped in. Usually, Anzu was all for warm baths, but this time, she needed to cool off. With the boys creating so much body heat in the room and her thinking about Yugi, she definitely needed a refreshing shower.

How many times had Yugi expressed his feelings for her unknowingly? Anzu couldn't exactly answer this question, but she was well aware of his feelings for her.

After Atemu left, they had been closer than ever, spending almost every day together until late, and even sleeping over sometimes. Some things were better dealt with together. Anzu's mom never protested; she knew how close the two were. Anzu's dad however, would raise a brow, but never denied her request. After all, all they did was spend time together, nothing else.

After her refreshing shower, Anzu dried and clothed herself with her favorite pajamas: a pair of loose pink shorts and a cream colored tank top. If it got cold during the night, she could always ask Yugi for another blanket or two.

Walking back into the room and placing her bag next to the entrance, she noticed it wasn't as stuffy as before. Yugi had cracked open a window and left the door open, allowing the air to circulate. Immediately after shivering, she regretted not bringing a sweater.

"Grandpa made us some sandwiches."

Anzu jumped once she heard Yugi's voice from behind her.

"Oh, Yugi…" She sighed in relief after turning around. He held a plate full of little sandwiches while he nonchalantly munched on one.

"Did I scare you?" He let out a small laugh as he held the plate towards her.

Happily taking the plate and picking up one of the many little sandwich pieces, she let out a restrained laugh. It was definitely starting to get a little chilly, but she would wait it out to see if he body would adjust.

Quickly, the mood changed…

Sitting down on the floor next to his bed, Yugi sighed and buried his hands into his hair. Tonight was going to be one of those nights where the broken side of him wasn't going to be able to hold itself like it usually did for daily activities.

Anzu knew exactly how he was feeling. Sitting down next to him, she wrapped an arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. At this, the boy inhaled a sharp breath, as if trying to stop himself from tears.

"Yugi?" Anzu's soft voice asked.

"I'm sorry, Anzu…" He cleared his throat as he brought his knees closer to himself in order to lean his head on his forearms.

Anzu brought her other arm over and completed the awkward embrace. Yugi was still torn inside and it made her wonder if he did this every night, this mourning. Jonouchi and Honda had their suspicions about Yugi's sorrow, but no one knew Yugi better than Atemu… and now, that title passed on to Anzu.

So while she embraced her best friend, she pushed him onto the ground, making him lose his balance and end up lying down on his back.

"Anz-" Anzu quickly shushed him as she lied down on his chest.

Of all the time they had spent together, she'd never gotten this close to him. She'd never gotten so close to where she could feel his warmth engulf her and his heartbeat invade her hearing. Her head resting on his chest, she placed a hand where his heart was and let her thumb rub over it a few times.

She heard him sigh again.

Yugi let his hand gently draw circles on her back before letting his hand rest on it.

"Anzu?" He broke the silence after a while.

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you doing this?"

At this, Anzu raised her head and looked into his deep violet eyes, confused as to what he meant by that.

"Why am I doing what?"

"Why are you doing this; this hugging and soft touches you give me every once in a while…"

Anzu opened her mouth to reply but ended up gapping a few times. He was right. She had been touching him more intimately recently, in front of the others too. It wasn't a sexual touch, no. They were caring touches, like a hand on his shoulder, a thumb brush against his cheek, a hug here and there, and even a hand-hold on the way to the shop from school. When she thought about it, why _did_ she do that?

The answer was a simple one, for her at least. She was falling for him. It was an inappropriate time to begin to fall in love with her best friend, she knew, yet she couldn't help herself. Every day she saw him she realized just how much she liked him and being his emotional support when he couldn't take the loss of his close friend made him that much more open to her. Anzu got to see Yugi in every way. She saw him when he was mad. She saw him when he was happy. She saw him when he was upset. Saw him when he was tired. Cranky. Hungry. Playful. Stressed. Excited. Silly. Caring.

Somehow, the pharaoh's departure had made them closer.

Finally working up the courage to answer his question, she made an effort to hold his hand that was idly on his stomach. "Because," She said, "Why not?"

Yugi raised a brow and before he could open his mouth to tell her that her answer was just as confusing, she placed a kiss on his cheek.

Yugi could never hold a blush back, and so right now, even though he tried, his cheeks were tainted with the crimson color.

"I don't know if this is what you, um," Anzu kissed his cheek again, "What you, uh, really want." He finished, his cheek feeling like it was burning with the lingering feel of her lips.

Anzu knew where he was coming from. She wasn't blind to the thoughts that would cross Yugi's mind once she began to openly show affection toward him, conveniently after his other side was no more. Yugi could have felt like she had settled for him because he was the closest thing to the pharaoh. That wasn't true; she had resolved her feelings about the man and accepted it for what it was, something that was not meant to be, but she had to prove to Yugi that he was wrong for thinking that. Words alone weren't enough to convince him, and so when she stood up, picked up the plate of sandwiches and lied down on _his_ bed, she patted the space she left for him.

From his spot on the floor, Yugi stared her, not knowing whether or not he should follow her lead.

Once she patted the spot again, he spoke up, pushing himself up to a sitting position, "I haven't showered yet and-" He stopped once he saw Anzu narrow her blue eyes at him. "Do I…?" He eyed the spot her hand was resting on.

"Yes…" She gave him a big smile. Now lying on the bed, they shuffled around until they found a comfortable position, careful not to knock over the plate of food. They settled for a simple spooning position, Yugi behind Anzu, propping his head up to watch her turn the television on once she reached for the remote on his night table. She flipped through a few channels until some live action show Jonouchi and Honda watched came up. Settling for that, she reached into the plate next to her and handed Yugi a sandwich.

His heart pounding since they were lying on the floor, he gratefully accepted the small snack and took a nervous bite. Anzu too, resumed snacking on them, laughing every once in a while when the characters in the show did something funny.

Handing the last sandwich to the male trying his best to control his breathing behind her, she giggled. Turning around in order to face him, she waited until he was done eating before she placed a soft surprising kiss on his lips.

It was a light brush, but it was enough to send shivers down Yugi's spine. Her soft rosy lips pressed up against his for that slight moment was enough to send him to cloud nine. He didn't know if he was dreaming or not.

Setting the plate down on the floor, she snuggled a little closer to him and closed her eyes, ready for the dream world to take hold of her thoughts for the night.

Yugi on the other hand was paralyzed. He was truly unable to bring himself to move. Anzu had just… She had just _kissed_ him. She had just kissed him and was now getting ready to fall asleep with him on the same _bed_.

It took a little mew from a completely asleep Anzu to jerk him out of his trance. Looking down at her, he noticed her tank top strap hang loosely over the side of her arm, revealing the light pink strap of her bra and freckled shoulder. Although confusing, she was the most amazing woman in his life, and right now, he couldn't have been more grateful for all that she'd done for him, especially these last few months. He couldn't have been dreaming.

Turning off the television and the lamp on his nightstand, he wrapped an arm around Anzu, making her lean against his chest just like before. Working up the courage to kiss her on the forehead, he felt the broken pieces of himself begin to mend. He could heal with this woman. He was always able to heal with her, ever since they had met all those years ago. Anzu was the one for him and it seemed like she was beginning to fall for him too, after all this time.

All those little reassuring pushes Atemu would give him were finally starting to give him strength.

Yugi choked out a sad laugh while holding back a few tears wanting to escape. If only the pharaoh knew how much he helped shape Yugi into a man.

"Mmmm…" Anzu nuzzled her head into his neck before raising her head to look up at him. "Go to sleep…" She blinked a few times before she gave up trying to keep her eyes open and let her head fall back on his chest.

Yugi smiled. "Mmhm."

Soon enough, he was; both sleeping in each other's arms, accepting what was to come of the future… _Together._

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Please review and let me know your thoughts! This fandom doesn't have many fanfictions when compared to others and I think they deserve some more love! I don't argue over shipping-fandoms because everyone is entitled to their opinion. I myself don't usually ship these two cuties, but I got into the mood to write something for them recently, which gave way for this story. I still love this couple, and I hate it when people argue over whom is better with whom. It hurts me when people insult each other over this.

Well, enough of my ranting! Please let me know anything that might have crossed your minds while reading this! Thank you very much!


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